This invention relates to method and system of evaluating the performance of an instructor of an electronic course.
An on-line, educational institution offers courses that are presented over a communications network, such as the Internet. By its nature, an on-line, educational institution may reach many students that are widely, geographically dispersed. One or more instructors may teach a section of a course for a group of students. The success of the on-line educational institution depends upon the effectiveness of the instructor in promoting student participation in the course and interaction among the students and the instructor in a manner that creates an educational learning environment. Thus, a need exists for evaluating the performance of an instructor and providing the instructor with an appropriate financial incentive to meet performance objectives of the on-line university.
In a traditional university, a professor may be evaluated based on the results of student surveys completed at the end of a course. The professor may also be evaluated based on the quantity of publications that the professor generates, the amount of grants for research that the professor successfully obtains for the university, and the significance of any research that the professor undertakes for the university""s benefit. Although an on-line educational institution could use some of the foregoing factors to evaluate the performance of an instructor, the goal of some on-line educational institutions may be to provide a superior learning environment to even that of a traditional classroom. Thus, a need exists for adequately assessing the teaching performance of an instructor of an electronic course.
In accordance with the invention, a system and method of evaluating the performance of an instructor of an electronic course is well suited for establishing a performance-based component of pay for the instructor to provide the instructor with a financial incentive for meeting a teaching performance goal. A communications monitor monitors quantitative performance data on the instructor and students participating in an electronic course. A first database stores the monitored quantitative performance data. A data processor determines at least one quantitative evaluative factor of a course-attendance factor (e.g., course completion rate) and an instructor response time based on the quantitative performance data.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an on-line educational institution may establish a performance goal for the instructor based upon the at least one quantitative evaluation factor, a qualitative evaluation report, or both. For example, quantitative evaluative factors may be reviewed to determine if one or more quantitative evaluative factors comply with qualifying thresholds as the performance goal, which may qualify the instructor for receipt of a performance-based component of pay, among other possible considerations. In one configuration, the communications monitor may facilitate the gathering of qualitative performance data in a second database. The qualitative performance data may be reviewed to form a qualitative evaluation report of the instructor.